


Girl Almighty

by TheKeyOfHappiness



Series: Like a folk song (our love lasts so long) [2]
Category: High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Established Relationship, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Kisses, M/M, Multi, siblings love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-28
Updated: 2020-07-31
Packaged: 2021-03-05 19:00:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 14,135
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25580230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheKeyOfHappiness/pseuds/TheKeyOfHappiness
Summary: “We’re going to be okay,” EJ said, proving once again how well he could read into Ricky’s mind. “It will be tough, and it will suck, but we’ll make it through. And probably by Halloween you’ll have already convinced me to sneak in somehow, so we won’t even have to wait for the first official Hogsmeade weekend to see each other.”Ricky found himself laughing and bent down to kiss EJ just as his boyfriend guided him towards him.“I love that you’ve already given up without even trying to make me follow the rules,” he said breathlessly. “Room of Requirement, after the feast tomorrow?”or:EJ prepares to see Ricky off to Hogwarts on the first of September. He also really, really hopes his sister ends up in Slytherin.
Relationships: Big Red/Ashlyn Caswell, Ricky Bowen/E.J. Caswell, Seb Matthew-Smith/Carlos Rodriguez
Series: Like a folk song (our love lasts so long) [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1846261
Comments: 23
Kudos: 33





	1. PART 1

**Author's Note:**

> DISCLAIMER: I do not own the characters, nor the Harry Potter setting. I do own the specific way these words were assembled together, and the original characters that are mentioned.
> 
> Let's have another toast to the beta reader almighty: [questionmark007](https://archiveofourown.org/users/questionmark007/pseuds/questionmark007).
> 
> The title is taken from One Direction's song Girl Almighty.

Saturday, August 31st

_Caswell Manor  
10:37_

The crackling of the fireplace was the only sound that filled the elegant dining room at Caswell Manor: even the weather appeared to be mourning the end of the summer holidays as, for the first time in weeks, the sunny days had been replaced by an ominous grey sky and chilly autumn air. It was still morning, but the room was so dark that EJ had to bend forward to read the densely written column on the front page of the Daily Prophet, squinting to make out the words.

For the first time in his life, he wasn’t anticipating the first of September and the Hogwarts Express. He knew he was going to miss Hogwarts since the moment he’d stepped into the boats that would take the freshly graduated seventh-year students across the lake and to the Hogsmeade station, and he’d come to terms with that: the excitement for his new position as Intern at the Department for Magical Games and Sports fueled him through the melancholy and ultimately made sure he always woke up excited for the day ahead.

He’d hoped that during the two months of summer holidays he would find a way to be prepared for the moment he’d have to bid goodbye to Ricky and Ellie on Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, but now that he was less than twenty-four hours away from that dreary task, EJ wished for nothing but a powerful Time Turner that would allow him to relieve the summer all over again. He’d thought they were making the most of it, but now that it had passed he realized there were so many precious moments he’d wasted. Why had he and Ricky rejoined the rest of the group on the night of the bonfire at Seb’s, when they’d found that secluded spot on the hill and spent together one of the best hours of EJ’s life? Why had they gone to the beach for a one-day trip only, and not taken a full week just for themselves?

In hindsight, EJ knew they’d been inseparable and that the only way they could have spent more time together would have been by moving in directly; still, the weight at the bottom of his stomach that had been growing for weeks felt now more uncomfortable than ever.

He drowned the last sip of the coffee he’d been nursing for the past twenty minutes, trying to find the line he wanted to read again. Even without the thought of the following day, it hadn’t been a good morning in the Caswell household.

_When you think your parents couldn’t get any worse, they always find a way to surprise you._

A sudden, loud crashing noise from upstairs made him jolt in his seat. He looked up at the ceiling and, extracting his wand from his pocket, instantly Apparated one floor up.

“It’s nothing!” Ellie shouted when she saw him, a mildly panicked look on her face as she tried to block the sight of her room. “I’m almost ready to go, I swear!”

Given that Ellie was barely five feet tall and roughly the size of a heavyset house elf, her attempts did nothing to stop EJ from seeing her school trunk, probably just crashed to the ground at the feet of her unmade bed, its contents spilled out on the floor in a mismatch of socks, books and _Wheezes_ products.

“Interesting packing technique.” EJ commented, raising his eyebrows. “If this is you being almost ready, I’m glad I didn’t come into your room last night.”

Ellie gave him a sheepish look from behind her messy blonde bangs, and EJ fought hard to repress a resigned sigh. He didn’t even know why he bothered feigning any kind of strictness with her.

“I’m sorry.” she mumbled. “I realized I hadn’t put in that book you gave me on the legends of Hogwarts and I really wanted to bring it.”

“I know what you’re trying to do.” EJ looked her in the eyes, and Ellie didn’t blink. “And I love it. It’s very Slytherin of you.”

He smiled, feeling his heart swell with pride; Ellie didn’t reply, looking pointedly at her feet as he drew his wand in a swift sweeping motion, aiming it at the mess on the floor. His sister stared with her mouth agape at all her possessions that started arranging themselves neatly inside her trunk, glancing jealously at his wand.

“Don’t give me that look,” said EJ, putting it back in the inside pocket of his jacket “Even if you _had_ a wand already, you couldn’t use it outside of school.”

Ellie grumbled her way to her shoes, abandoned somewhere between her bookshelf and her desk, and hastily started putting them on.

“But Ricky said he could teach me some spells!” She protested. “I could have been way ahead of the rest of my class already!”

“Ricky has known you for less than three months,” EJ retorted, making his way to her bedside table and picking up a hairbrush. “He doesn’t fully realize what it would mean to give you a wand before school starts.”

“But what if we waited too long, and all the good wands are gone?” Ellie’s eyes were round when she looked anxiously at EJ. “What if there isn’t one for me?”

“That’s never going to happen” EJ reassured her, doing his best to untangle her hair without pulling too hard. “There’s more wands at Ollivander’s than wizards and witches in Europe. You’ll find the right one in no time.”

Ellie sighed nervously, playing with the buttons on his shirt like she used to do when she was still a baby, exploring the world around her. EJ felt his chest tighten at the thought that this was probably one of the last times he’d get to do this for her - to reassure her, brush her hair, fix the collar of her t-shirt. Soon she’d be off to Hogwarts, and she’d have to learn how to face her challenges on her own; he knew she’d probably have way less problems than him at making friends and find her place in the school, but he wouldn’t be there, and he knew the apprehension he felt would only increase as the day went by.

_She won’t be alone: she has Ashlyn, and Ricky. You, on the other hand…_

“Ready to go?” He smiled as Ellie spun around her room, making all the last-minute checks. He noticed her glancing longingly at the door a couple times, as if she was waiting for someone else to come through and wave her goodbye. EJ gritted his teeth, anger seething at the pit of his stomach. Having to tell Ellie at breakfast that their parents had to leave at the crack of dawn for a meeting with the French Minister of Magic and therefore couldn’t see her off before she went to Hogwarts had been the most unpleasant start of the day EJ had had since the time he’d tried and failed to kiss Ricky in the Room of Requirement.

_“And you can’t go upstairs now and at least tell her a fucking goodbye before you leave?” He shouted at his parents in their elegant traveling cloaks, as they walked across the garden to reach the Portkey that would take them to Paris._

_“Control your temper,” his father admonished him, with a dry look from the light green eyes both he and Ellie had inherited. “Perhaps in the Sports Department this quarreling tone is considered acceptable, but I will not stand for it, are we clear?”_

_EJ was well past the point of being intimidated by his father and his opinions on his firstborn’s career choices. He opened his mouth to tell him exactly where he thought he could shove his_ manners _but his mother, ever the diplomat, had interrupted._

_“I’m sure Cordelia will be fine,” she said with a sweet smile that made EJ sick to his stomach. “She’ll be thrilled to have you take her to Diagon Alley on your own. You can give her a hug from us, alright?”_

Not on my own _, EJ was about to spit back. He took a moment to picture how it would play out if he told them now - ‘Mother, father, I’m going to Diagon Alley with my boyfriend, whom I’ve been dating for six full months. If you’d taken a second to care you’d know I only started coming to the Ministry three weeks ago, and not since the beginning of July. Wanna guess where I’ve been all summer?’_

_But he held back his tongue, hating himself a little for the resentment that filled his veins like poison. It wasn’t a feeling he wanted to associate with Ricky. He wasn’t going to use him as a tool to unleash his parents’ outrage: Ricky didn’t deserve that. He was the best thing that had ever happened to him._

_His mother and father must have taken his silence for acquiescence, because they didn’t add another word: EJ watched them walk across the elegant iron gates and disappear into the misty morning, the crushing echo of their steps on the gravel reverberating through the silent countryside._

“We’re running late, Tiny.” EJ said, walking over to his sister’s school trunk and grabbing it with one hand, extending the other towards her. “Let’s not make Ricky wait too long, eh?”

Ellie’s eyes sparkled at the mention of Ricky’s name, and EJ felt mildly less terrible.

“Don’t call me Tiny,” she protested, but instead of taking his hand, she hugged him around the waist. Her head barely reached his sternum. “I’m ready.” She added in a small voice, glancing around the room one last time. EJ protectively wrapped his arm around her shoulders, feeling her draw a long breath as she prepared herself for Side-Along Apparition. He closed his eyes and took the both of them away from Caswell Manor.

“And this is what I call landing an Apparition!” Ricky’s laugh welcomed them to the back room of the Leaky Cauldron, which people used to Apparate close to Diagon Alley. He was standing against the wall, his cloak enchanted with rain-repelling spells thrown over an oversize blue t-shirt, and he looked elated as Ellie and EJ stumbled on each other and almost toppled over Ellie’s voluminous trunk. The little girl disentangled herself from her brother just to run straight into his already awaiting arms.

“Ricky!” She shouted, jumping at his neck and apparently forgetting about her resolve to stop doing that, because according to her she was too old to be picked up now “You really cut your hair!”

“I did.” grinned Ricky, lifting his chin to show her his side profile “I was starting to run out of excuses to prevent Nini from messing with it.”

Ricky looked at EJ over Ellie’s head and the familiar feeling of having a weight pulled off of his chest prompted him to step forward.

“Hi,” he kissed him lightly, ignoring Ellie’s disgruntlement. “You look great.”

Ricky smiled against his lips: the tip of his nose and the skin of his lips were cold from outside.

“Hi,” he replied, taking a moment to look at EJ as if it had been months since he’d last seen him, and not just a day and a half.

“Can you please _not_ do this while I’m so close to your faces?” Ellie mumbled, crossing her arms.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Ricky feigned concern, tightening his grip on her. “Are we making you feel excluded?”

“How rude of us” commented EJ, exchanging a look with Ricky; before they could do anything though, Ellie had already scrambled back down.

“I’m too old for this!” She said, fixing her crumpled t-shirt before EJ could do it for her. “Can we go get my wand now?”

She grabbed both their hands and started pulling them towards the door with the enthusiastic strength only a soon-to-be Hogwarts First Year could have; twenty minutes later they had checked into their room at the inn and then joined the multitude of weekend shoppers, mostly Hogwarts students and their parents that were trying to scrape together the last items needed before the school year started. Hand in hand, Ricky and EJ tried to keep up with Ellie as she wriggled through the crowd, disappearing between brightly colored cloaks and almost knocking over an ancient looking wizard waiting in front of the Apothecary. She didn’t even stop at Quidditch Accessories, and EJ anxiously called out for her.

“Relax,” Ricky stopped to let a couple of sullen looking goblins pass, headed towards Gringotts at the end of the road. “It’s not like you don’t know where she’s going.”

“It’s like you don’t know how easily sidetracked she can get,” EJ hissed back, extending his neck; he _hoped_ that the blonde head he saw navigating the crowd past Flourish and Blott’s was Ellie’s, but he’d rather be _sure._ “How do people ever wish to have children? It’s nerve-wracking.”

Ricky’s fingers clasped more tightly around his, and when EJ looked at him, he had a weird, tender smile.

“There she is” was all he said, tugging him forward: Ellie was waiting in front of the door of Diagon Alley’s most famous wand shop, looking impatient. “It’s the first time I’ve come back in six years, you know?” Said Ricky longingly, looking up at the golden letters above the door. “It was a good day. Nini was there too.”

Ricky stared into the void, probably lost in the memory of a sunny day spent with his parents who were still together, his newfound best friend and the promise of a new exciting discovery behind every corner. Ricky hadn’t seen his mother in over a year, and since he’d refused to go visit her in Chicago, their phone calls had become a lot less frequent too.

_I’ll make sure you’ll have a good memory of today._

The atmosphere was different inside the shop: maybe it was the presence of thousands of wands all together on the dusty shelves, or the low light, or the fact that all the sounds from the street had become silent as soon as the door had closed behind them. Ellie’s fretfulness had suddenly stilled, and she began looking nervously around the shop, but without daring to move closer to the dark wooden counter.

It wasn’t like EJ didn’t have the instincts to take charge instilled into his bones: he squared his shoulders and stepped forward, ringing the bell above the counter. The sound made Ellie jump, but she remained unfazed when a witch of incalculable age appeared silently from between two rows of shelves. She had white blonde hair and clear eyes that scanned the three of them before she uttered a word.

“Good morning” Ellie bravely stepped forward, and EJ wondered how big his heart could swell with pride before it burst out of his chest entirely “We came here for my wand.”

Gwynith Ollivander seemed to glide rather than walk towards her, and EJ felt the hair on the back of his neck prickle: it was like being in front of a ghost, but not the friendly ones that inhabited Hogwarts. More like the kind of presence that scared muggles when they visited a cemetery at night. Ellie however stood her ground, and let the witch examine her figure before she looked over at EJ and Ricky.

“Yes, of course,” she said slowly. “Mr. Caswell. Vine and dragon heartstring, thirteen inches, hard. And Mr. Bowen, willow and unicorn hair, twelve and three quarter inches, reasonably pliant. Excellent for charm work.”

Ricky’s smile lit up the dim room, but maybe it was only EJ’s impression.

“Indeed.” He confirmed, rocking on his heels. The witch spared him a vaguely amused look before turning back to Ellie, who was about to start shaking with impatience.

“And now, let’s find something for you.” She said, and with a flick of her wand a metre started unraveling itself to take all of Ellie’s measurements.

“I didn’t know your wand was willow,” whispered EJ, not wanting to disturb. “But it makes sense. It’s pretty rare.”

Ricky bit back a snicker.

“Why am I not surprised that you’re an expert on wand woods, too?” He commented, then took out his wand to examine it affectionately. “I really like it. Miss Jenn said the first time she saw it, that it had great potential.”

“The charming wand chooses the charming wizard.” EJ winked exaggeratedly, marveling at how, even after six months of being together, Ricky’s cheeks always flared up.

“I suppose it’s - _shit - Protego!_ ”

Ricky’s wand slashed the air just in time, forming an invisible barrier between themselves and the crystal splinters of an ancient vase that Ellie had just blown up.

“I’m _sorry_!” She breathed out, dropping the culprit wand on the counter as if it had burned her fingers.

“A fiery temper,” commented Mrs. Ollivander, fixing the vase with a flick of her wand. “Let’s try some phoenix feather.”

Ellie looked vaguely distraught, and EJ gave her a reassuring smile: he watched her try her seventeenth wand with Ricky’s chin propped on his shoulder, and despite the knowledge that he’d have to leave the both of them in less than a day, he’d never felt more at peace.

_The Leaky Cauldron  
21:45_

“It’s cypress and phoenix feather!” Ellie was chanting for the umpteenth time that day, proudly showing off her wand to anyone she met. It was Ashlyn and Gina’s turn, now. “It’s a wand for heroes!”

“Yeah,” EJ downed half a glass of elfic wine, looking distraught. “It is said that those who have a cypress wand suffer tragic, untimely _deaths_.”

Ricky tried his best not to roll his eyes: he’d been repeating that since they’d left Ollivander’s that morning.

“That’s just old tales, EJ,” Ashlyn raised her eyebrows eloquently. “How was that old saying? _If he’s vine, best decline_ , right?”

“Well then there is some truth to these proverbs,” teased Gina. “Ellie, you’d better be careful.”

Everyone around the table laughed, relaxed after the delicious dinner they’d had in the private salon of the Leaky Cauldron. Ashlyn, Big Red, Nini and Gina had decided to join them in taking a room there for the night, so they could all head to King’s Cross together the following morning. It felt a little like being at Hogwarts already, but as Ricky looked over to EJ on his right side, he remembered with a pang to his chest that this would be the last dinner he shared with him for a very long time.

The chill autumn air might already be lingering outside the windows, but he wasn’t ready for summer to be over.

“That’s funny,” EJ was retorting, without a trace of amusement in his voice. “But you know who else has a wand made of vine wood?”

Despite the sadness weighing his chest down, Ricky couldn’t miss this opportunity to tease him.

“Let me take a wild guess,” he smirked, enjoying the redness that tinged EJ’s cheeks. “I bet it’s someone you’ve met at work.”

“I…” EJ’s eyes flashed in betrayal, but Ricky didn’t relent. Their friends were following their exchange with puzzled looks.

“Ellie,” Ricky continued. “You wouldn’t happen to know if EJ met someone in particular at the Ministry? Someone who maybe shares the same wand wood as him? Someone who takes the elevator _every day_ at the same time, would you believe it? Someone who…”

Ellie snickered, glancing at EJ mischievously. Oh, Ricky was going to make a perfect troublemaker out of her.

“Maybe he mentioned someone,” she teased playing right along, much to EJ’s chagrin. “Someone very special.”

“I am extremely confused,” Big Red commented, following the exchange with wide eyes.

“Yes, I was talking about Minister Granger, okay?” EJ hissed, crossing his arms tightly around his chest. Ricky laughed softly and reached for his arm, but EJ batted his hand away.

Merlin, he was going to miss this.

“You’ve met Hermione Granger?” He feigned surprise. “Man, I had no idea…”

“I hate you,” said EJ in a flat voice, as their friends laughed and marveled at the news.

“But I thought you were interning at Magical Games and Sports,” Nini intervened. “What does the Minister of Magic have to do with that?”

EJ took another sip of wine, enjoying the fact that everyone’s attention was focused on him, and took a few seconds more than necessary to answer.

“I can’t talk about that,” was all he said, and Ricky knew him well enough to know that there was smugness being the polite regret he was showing. “Sorry. But it’ll become public knowledge soon enough.”

“Is it about the revolting centaurs in Greece?” Big Red asked, prompting surprised looks from everyone “What? I read the news, you know?”

Ricky would be lying if he said he kept up with what was going on in the wizarding world; he knew he should probably pay more attention to society, read the Daily Prophet and all that, but then again, he had a boyfriend who _lived_ for that kind of things and he knew EJ would make sure to tell him if something really important was going on.

EJ shrugged noncommittally, but the glint in his eyes told Ricky that whatever it was he couldn’t talk about, it didn’t have to do with something dangerous or worrying like angry centaurs.

“Well, I met Harry Potter at Saint Mungo,” Nini said “He’s way shorter than he looks in the papers.”

Gina’s eyes bulged out: it wasn’t a secret for anyone that she’d read _Harry Potter: the secrets behind the scar_ , by Luna Lovegood, at least a dozen times.

“He wasn’t sick, was he?” she worried.

“Nah, I think he was there on Auror duty,” Nini explained, and her eyes shined “He took me for a Healer, can you believe it? Asked me if I knew where Thickey ward was.”

“I hope this isn’t the most exciting thing that’s happened during your summer internship.” Ricky teased, earning a scowl from Nini. He was actually very proud of her: she’d dreamed of becoming a H ealer since she’d first started helping him cure his cuts and bruises back in first year, after one too many failed attempt at Potions homework.

Then Ellie failed to stifle a yawn, and everyone was reminded that they had a train to catch the next morning, and they didn’t look forward to being late; with a scraping of chairs and heavy footsteps, they all began to file up towards the rooms. In waving goodnight to Gina and Nini as they disappeared behind their door, Ellie accidentally swung her wand aimlessly, and set the carpet on fire; Big Red tried to extinguish it with his foot, and it took Ricky’s quick _Aguamenti_ to save the floor and his best friend’s pants from turning to ashes.

About an hour later, Ricky found himself curled on the sofa in front of the fireplace that adorned the small lounge of the room he, EJ, and Ellie were sharing, a pillow pressed to his chest. He looked into the dancing flames, listening to the sound of water running from the faucet in the bathroom as EJ got ready for bed, and hugged the pillow closer with every step he heard from behind the closed door, every stifled cough, every distracted hum.

He didn’t like goodbyes. He _knew_ this was nothing like waving at his mom while she boarded a plane to Chicago two weeks before he started his sixth year, unaware of the fact that it was the last time the Bowens would be a family of three. He _knew_ EJ would never be more than an Apparition to Hogsmeade away, that he would see him at the weekends, and write him every day. Yet it wouldn’t be the same, and Ricky was confident in the solidity of their relationship, but he didn’t know whether the strain of the distance would prove to be too hard a challenge for them to face. There were a million things that could go wrong, and Ricky couldn’t stop playing every single one of them over in his head.

“Ricky?” EJ called softly; he was standing beside the fireplace and he hadn’t even heard him coming out of the bathroom. His hair was tousled, and he wore an old oversize t-shirt he’d nicked from him, with the logo of a skatepark he used to go when he was a kid.

Ricky tried to smile but ended up biting the inside of his cheek to ground himself. EJ sat by his side on the couch, examining his defensive posture.

“I’m practicing for later, how to deal with loneliness in the dorms,” Ricky tried to joke, nodding at the pillow he was hugging. “I figured it would be this or asking Big Red for a hug.”

“So you chose the pillow,” EJ nodded approvingly, but his expression was soft and careful. “Smart.”

They looked at each other, not really knowing which words to choose to say goodbye. They’d figured they’d do it now rather than wait for the following morning, when they would be in a rush and on public display. EJ’s fingers laced around Ricky’s ankle; they were warm against his skin, but he felt a shudder run through his body.

“You know, you could ditch the practicing for now” he said, running his thumb along the hem of Ricky’s sock “Since I’m here, flesh and blood.”

The pillow fell to floor with a soft thud, and Ricky slid his arms around EJ’s torso, leaning forward and pressing his cheek against his chest. He screwed his eyes shut and breathed in deeply: EJ smelled of soap and mint toothpaste, and over the course of the past six months Ricky had learned that all it took was a hug like this for his jitters to settle. He listened to the regular pounding of his heart and tried to memorize it like the beat of a song he could recreate in his mind when he’d be alone in the Gryffindor dormitories.

EJ’s arms engulfed his shoulders and he spread his legs, so Ricky could better settle between them. He glanced up at him and saw EJ with his eyes closed and his mouth pressed into a thin line, hands shaking slightly as he moved them up and down his back.

Ricky wouldn’t be alone: he would have all his friends around him, plus Ellie to look after. EJ, on the other hand…

“What are you going to do tomorrow?” Ricky found himself asking, voice slightly muffled from the way he was scrunched up against EJ.

“Dunno. I’ll have ice cream for lunch at Fortescue’s maybe. And see if Frances are Nelson are up for some Quidditch in the afternoon.” He replied, fingers gently stroking the side of Ricky’s neck, up to shell of his ear. “And then I’ll wait for your letter to know about Ellie’s sorting.”

Ricky sat up a little straighter so he could watch him in the eyes without stretching his neck.

“I told you I’m going to film it,” he reminded him. “I’ll send you the phone so you can see it for yourself.”

He’d figured how to make a basic iPhone work inside Hogwarts. There was no reception and he’d have needed to adjust _another_ phone to see if he could manage to exploit the magic buzzing all around the castle to carry the frequencies needed for the phones to actually communicate, but for now he was happy enough that he could make it work as a video camera without having the display glitching every few seconds. He counted it as a win, and Miss Jenn had too.

“I really want her to be a Slytherin,” EJ said wistfully. “She’d rule the damn House, I’m sure of it.”

“I’m pretty sure Ellie’s going to rule whatever house she ends up in,” Ricky carefully replied.

“You don’t think she’ll be a Slytherin?” EJ raised his eyebrows. “She definitely has the brain for it.”

“I wouldn’t take it as a compliment.” Ricky teased, and yelped when EJ’s fingers dug into his waist in retaliation.

“I just always thought she would be,” EJ shrugged lightly. “That we would share that. And then she could become Quidditch captain too, and Slytherin prefect, and Head Girl, and show the world that the Caswells are the best of the best.”

Ricky opened his mouth to reply, but a sudden creaking of wood startled him, and he looked around the room. Everything was still and quiet, so he brought all his attention back to EJ.

“You’re an idiot,” he informed him softly. “But I’m going to miss you like _crazy_.”

EJ’s hand cupped his cheek and Ricky wondered if he too was trying to carve every moment in his memory, and if he too felt that even if they spent the whole night lying awake and looking at each other, it wouldn’t be enough.

“We’re going to be okay,” EJ said, proving once again how well he could read into Ricky’s mind. “It will be tough, and it will suck, but we’ll make it through. And probably by Halloween you’ll have already convinced me to sneak in somehow, so we won’t even have to wait for the first official Hogsmeade weekend to see each other.”

Ricky found himself laughing and bent down to kiss EJ just as his boyfriend guided him towards him.

“I love that you’ve already given up without even trying to make me follow the rules,” he said breathlessly. “Room of Requirement, after the feast tomorrow?”

“Please,” EJ scoffed, hands firmly planted on Ricky’s waist. “If you think I’m going to give in so easily…”

Ricky grinned eloquently, and even in the dim light that came from the fireplace he could see EJ’s cheeks flare up.

“Is this a challenge?” He bit his bottom lip, pleased to notice an immediate reaction in the way the boy’s fingers dug into his hipbones.

“My sister’s sleeping in the other room,” he hissed, glancing at the door. Ricky had thought it was closed, but he found it slightly ajar.

“Nothing that a good silencing spell can’t fix,” he replied, teasing just for the sake of it.

“Yeah, you said it in Seb’s barn too,” EJ retorted, accusation in his eyes. “Didn’t stop his brother from almost catching us.”

Ricky hid his snicker in EJ’s neck, the embarrassment still clenching his insides.

“That was a close one,” he conceded. He could _feel_ the embarrassed grimace EJ made at the memory and resolved to sit back up so they could face each other, legs tangled on the small couch as Ricky reached for EJ’s face and kissed him deeply and hungrily. EJ’s heel dug in the small of his back as he tried to press Ricky forward; he let out a heavy breath, licking the boy’s lips and feeling them part under his, as EJ let him set the pace. His nails scratched the skin of Ricky’s scalp, his mouth tasted like mint toothpaste and when one of EJ’s hands settled on Ricky’s chest, right above his heart, he knew that there was no way he’d ever board the train tomorrow. How could he, when he knew that it would take him away from the one person that made him feel safe enough to put all his buzzing thoughts on hold for every minute they spent together?

“I love you,” Ricky whispered. The first time he’d said it he was startled: it felt exactly like casting a spell, an incantation he was pronouncing that made his very magic spark through his veins. He still hadn’t gotten used to it, and he wondered back to that night at Christmas when they’d broken into the Ravenclaw common room.

_What works like magic, but it’s not magic? Love. It’s love, isn’t it?_

Ricky’s research into the deep nature of magic had always focused on its resemblances to muggle physics, but maybe he should give more credit to Miss Jenn’s long talks on the importance of emotions and the connections between magic and feelings. His love for EJ had materialized in the form of his patronus, after all. He looked into EJ’s eyes, the light green highlighted by the burning reflection of the fireplace in his pupils.

“We’re going to be okay.” Ricky smiled, and he knew in the bottom of his heart that he meant it. EJ captured his lips once again.

“I love you too,” he said. “Let’s go to bed.”

They settled under the covers as quietly as possible; Ellie’s small figure was as still as a statue in the single bed in the corner. A sliver of moonlight fell on EJ’s face as they faced each other, and he instinctively flicked a stray curl away from Ricky’s face; Ricky grasped his hand before he retreaded it, and silently brushed his lips against EJ’s fingertips.

They were going to be okay, tomorrow. They had one more morning of waking up together to look forward to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello folks! Did you miss me? :)  
> As promised, here's a little sneak peek of what happens after the epilogue of The Afterglow and especially, how EJ and Ricky cope with the idea of long distance. The next chapter will be all told by Ellie's POV, so I hope you like her ahahah  
> She is kind of important in this fic, after all!  
> As a side note, I will tell you this funny story. Three chapters into The Afterglow, my lovely beta and I decided to study what would be EJ and Ricky's wand, in case I might need the information for the fic (in the end I didn't). SO we read the whole article from Pottermore about [wand cores](https://www.wizardingworld.com/writing-by-jk-rowling/wand-cores) and [wand woods](https://www.wizardingworld.com/writing-by-jk-rowling/wand-woods), and we decided on vine and dragon heartstring, and willow and unicorn hair. I thought they sounded familiar and... well, would you guess it? We'd given them Hermione and Ron's wands. In case you needed another proof that they're the ultimate OTP.  
> Anyways, I hope you like this little addition! Thank you for reading, as always, and I hope you have the loveliest of days. Part two comes up on the 31st (eheheheh).


	2. PART 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Send love to my lovely beta and co-plotter [questionmark007](https://archiveofourown.org/users/questionmark007/pseuds/questionmark007).

Sunday, September 1st

_The Leaky Cauldron  
_ _7:54_

Cordelia ‘Ellie’ Genevieve Caswell had never been a girl who liked to sleep in: she was known for terrorizing grandparents, sibling, and cousin at the earliest hours of the morning, and her first accidental magic that she knew of was managing to Apparate on her brother’s chest on Christmas morning, not long after dawn, demanding they started opening presents at once.

She usually loved scrunching her eyes open in the morning, sunlight falling on her pillow, her head overflowing with ideas on how to spend another day of adventures: Ashlyn had always said she was pure dynamite, and EJ _never_ let her drink coffee in the morning because he thought she was too excitable already.

Ellie had secretly been planning that the first thing she would do on her first official day at Hogwarts would be to finally have coffee for breakfast. She’d been anticipating that, along with the lessons, the Great Hall, her _wand_ …

But now that she’d turned the corner on summer holidays and the chilly September air meandered through the cracks in the windowsill, she found herself pulling the covers of her bed over her head and keeping her eyes firmly shut. The rough fabric of the blanket fell heavy on her cheeks and nose, and Ellie breathed in deeply. She couldn’t recall a time when she hadn’t been dreaming about going to Hogwarts, but now she would have given away her _broomstick_ \- okay, maybe not her broomstick - just to have another day before she had to leave.

She couldn’t stop playing EJ’s words in her head, persistent and intrusive like one of the Celestina Warbeck records her grandma liked to play on her magi-gramophone. She knew she wasn’t supposed to overhear EJ and Ricky’s conversation the previous night - they mostly talked about things she couldn’t really grasp when they were alone, or they got sentimental and that was _boring_ \- but she’d heard her name, and all her instincts had brought her to crouch behind the door, pressing her ear to listen.

_I really want her to be a Slytherin. She definitely has the brain for it. I just always thought she would be, that we would share that. And then she could become Quidditch captain too, and Slytherin prefect, and Head Girl, and show the world that the Caswells are the best of the best._

Ellie screw her eyes more tightly, but it did nothing to silence the voice of her brother in her head. She, too, had always thought she’d be a Slytherin just like EJ: she wasn’t like Ashlyn, always with a new idea, always thinking differently than everyone else. And she didn’t know much about Hufflepuff, but from the way EJ talked about his Hufflepuff classmates, ever the kind and often overlooked ones, it didn’t sound like her either. She’d taken it for granted that she would end up in Slytherin; but she was older now, she had met more people, and in the back of her mind she couldn’t stop thinking that maybe there was another house she belonged in.

 _She couldn’t. She just couldn’t let EJ down like that. She_ had _to be in Slytherin, or her brother would walk out on her just like Mum and Dad always did._

Filled with a sense of desperate purpose, Ellie sat up straight in her bed, covers falling from her head; she had to blink a couple times to adjust to the brightness of the morning sun, but she pushed the blanket aside, feeling the energy rustling through her veins. She was a Caswell: there was nothing she couldn’t do if she put her mind to it, and she would _make_ the Sorting Hat sort her in Slytherin.

Ellie looked at the wand she’d carefully placed on her bedside table, and her confidence sparked up again; she eyed to her right, where she could see EJ and Ricky still stirring as the last traces of sleep left them mumbling and with their legs tangled in the bedsheets. She had come to love Ricky and she thought that EJ had never been in a better mood than now that they were together, but Ellie did _not_ care to see them sharing good morning kisses on an extra emotional day like this one was going to be.

She grabbed her wand (who knew when it could come in handy) and bolted towards the bathroom, ready to start the day.

_King’s Cross Station  
_ _10:40_

Ellie had already risked crashing the trolley with her school trunk at least a couple times, but she refused to let EJ help her pushing it: she strode along the platform, following Ricky as he parted the crowd and tried her best not to get too distracted, but it wasn’t easy. There was just _so much_ to look at: older students running to find their friends, already sporting the colors of their houses; people proudly showing off their new animals, broomsticks and spell books; parents fretting around their children, shouting last minute recommendations and handing over packed lunches. And then there was the Hogwarts Express: the last time she’d been here, to see EJ off on his last first day of school, she’d only been able to vaguely spot her reflection on the lucid scarlet polish that covered the sides of the train, but now she noticed that the top of her head _definitely_ reached the window of already packed compartments.

Excited about this new discovery, she noticed just in time that Ricky had finally come to a halt near the last carriages of the train.

“Watch it, Tiny.” EJ grabbed hold of the trolley before she could smash into an unsuspecting Ricky, and Ellie looked around to check if anyone had heard him - the very last thing she needed was for some of her new classmates to find out her brother’s favorite nickname for her.

“What took you so long?” Gina asked, leaning against the side of the train. She helped Ricky hoist his and Ellie’s trunks on the carriage, narrowly avoiding a fugitive rat that slipped under her foot.

“Packed with muggles,” EJ explained. “We had to wait it out a little.”

Nini appeared from the crowd, cheeks red and eyes bulging out. The yellow and black Head Girl badge on her chest gleamed in the morning light.

“The train hasn’t even left yet, and Natalie Bagley’s already come crying about her missing rat,” she sighed, wiping her forehead. “Who wants to go back to summer holidays?”

EJ laughed heartily, patting her on the back.

“You haven’t seen anything yet,” he said. “Wait until Flitwick asks you to help mediate the fights Mazzara and Miss Jenn have about which branch of magic is more _magical:_ Transfiguration or Charms.”

“Thanks, EJ” Nini glared at him. “Uplifting as always.”

“Guys!” Ashlyn popped her head out of the carriage door. “You’d better get on board, I don’t know how long we can hold off the third years from our compartment if it’s just me and Red.”

“Right.” Nini and Gina both hugged EJ briefly, before jumping on the train.

“Good luck, you’re going to need it,” he told Nini, with a wink. “Gina. Slytherin’s in your hands now,” he added, earning a smirk from the soon-to-be sixth year girl.

“Alright, Captain,” she said, before disappearing.

Ellie watched as Ashlyn jumped back on the platform, enveloping EJ in a hug that her brother warmly returned.

“Try to stay sane, cousin,” she said, with a last squeeze. “And write if - no scratch that - write _when_ you need me.”

EJ’s eyebrows arched, but there was no real heat in his quippy answer.

“I’m a Ministry Official now, I think I can handle myself.”

Ashlyn laughed, climbing on the carriage again.

“I hope you never change, EJ.” she said, and EJ’s smile turned into a grin; then he looked at Ellie, and she felt her throat constrict. She was suddenly overwhelmed again by the desire to stop time, freeze this moment in which her brother looked at her as if she was the greatest source of joy and pride in his life, and whatever she did, he would always be there for her. She wanted to feel like that time, two summers ago, when her accidental magic had broken an ancient set of potion scales; she’d thought of hiding, of running away before someone could find out that it had been her. But EJ had found her immediately, repaired the damage with a touch of his wand and then taught her how to better control her emotions to minimize accidents in the future. She wanted him to be proud of her when she did something right and support her when she made a mistake.

But she had to be sorted into Slytherin, or he’d have never looked at her like that again.

“Ready to go, Ellie?” He asked. “I know you’re nervous, but you don’t have to worry. You’ll do amazing.”

Ellie forced herself to nod and let him hug her tight, lifting her a little from the ground. She felt tears prickle at the back of her eyes but did her best to suffocate them in a sniffle.

“I don’t know,” she mumbled against his shoulder. “I… I don’t want to mess up.”

 _I don’t know if I’ll be in Slytherin_ , she tried to say. But the words got stuck in her throat, and she forced herself to swallow them back down. EJ tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear and lightly kissed the top of her head.

“You won’t,” he assured her. “And if you do, it’s okay. Have fun, alright? But don’t do anything dangerous, please.”

Ellie laughed, feeling a little lighter, and hugged him one last time before finally jumping on the train. She waved at EJ, breathless: his eyes had gotten glossy, and he didn’t turn until she finally decided to walk down the train corridor. She immediately found Ashlyn, Gina, Nini and Big Red in the compartment on the right, all trying to spy on the platform without being seen from the other side of the window.

“Five galleons Ricky’s going to cry first,” hissed Big Red, making room for Ellie to crouch between the seats.

“Mhh. I’m not so sure, EJ’s been holding it back since Graduation day.” Gina replied pensively.

Whatever Ricky and EJ were saying to each other, Ellie saw her brother throw his head back in laughter.

“ _You always knew this was going to happen,_ ” Big Red said in a distorted voice while Ricky’s lips moved wordlessly. “ _I’m sorry, but I’m not going to resist Big Red this year. He got so hot!_ ”

Ellie pressed a hand to her mouth to hold back the laughter.

“ _Yeah, but he’s with Ashlyn now. You don’t have a chance against her._ ” Big Red continued, earning a delighted giggle from Ashlyn. Ellie snuck her an amused glance: she’d never fathomed her cousin could make a sound like that. Love was a really weird thing.

“And there’s the seventy meters of tongue” Big Red commented as they kissed, making everyone grimace; then EJ and Ricky broke apart, Ricky smiled, and wiped EJ’s cheek with his thumb.

“Yes!” Gina exulted. “Told you EJ would crack first.”

Big Red grumbled, fishing a few golden coins from his pocket and throwing them at a pleased-looking Gina.

Somewhere down the platform a whistle went off, and Ellie’s heart somersaulted in her chest: they were about to leave. She was glad that she was sitting down, because her legs suddenly felt shaky, and the hands she’d clasped around her knees were clammy. No going back now: she was leaving for Hogwarts, and her life as she knew it would never be the same. Anticipation and nerves knotted together at the bottom of her stomach, and she kept her eyes on EJ and Ricky’s final goodbye to distract herself.

EJ was adjusting Ricky’s tie, and the Gryffindor was very clearly biting his lips to keep himself from crying: if there was one thing she’d learned about Ricky, it was how easily he gave in to tears. But he was also very smart, and funny, and he was also the first more-or-less-adult-person who didn’t scoff, shake his head or laugh indulgently at her thirst for pure _adventure_. When she’d told him that she was trying to discover an ancient Celtic ring of stones she was sure had once been in the woods behind the house, his eyes had _shined_ with interest and Ellie had felt truly understood for the first time in her short but intense life. (EJ had tried to support her too, in his own way. He’d given her a list of books on the history of Celtic Magic that Ellie was saving in her school trunk for the winter nights at Hogwarts.)

With one longing, final kiss, EJ and Ricky finally broke apart and Ricky jumped on the train; everyone suddenly preoccupied themselves with looking very busy, but Ellie had eyes only for her brother on the platform; she jumped and tried to stick her hand out of the window, waving frantically as the train got in motion. EJ waved back, but suddenly he was lost in a blurry, shapeless crowd of parents and family members, and then the train took a sharp curve and the London buildings made way for the open, green countryside.

Ellie watched Ricky plop down on the seat next to Big Red, wiping his eyes as everyone else pretended not to notice. He must have felt her staring, because he sniffed lightly and smiled at her.

“How would you like to ride a skateboard, Ellie?”

_The Hogwarts Express  
_ _18:35_

Riding to Hogwarts with Ashlyn, Ricky and the rest of their friends had been exactly like Ellie had imagined it: a chaotic, fun mess. Nini had repeatedly left the compartment to attend to her Head Girl duties, and she’d come back every time looking more and more disheveled. Ellie had always gathered from EJ that being Head Boy or Girl was the ultimate dream of any student, but she was starting to change her mind; Ricky and Big Red had taught her to play muggle poker, and both of them claimed they’d let her win when she robbed them of a month’s worth of candy stashes.

Ellie hadn’t eaten much for lunch. For all that she tried to keep herself from thinking about it, her mind kept lingering on the thought of the Sorting, and the moment she left the compartment to go to the bathroom she wondered if the rest of EJ’s friends were making bets on which house she would end up in. Her stomach churned at the thought.

She stared outside the window of the train corridor, through the darkness: the sun had set not long before, and a light drizzle had covered the glass in raindrops. Ellie could see her pale reflection and stared at it, trying to picture herself wearing the Slytherin House colors.

“Ellie!” She turned abruptly when Ricky called her. “You okay in there?”

Ellie nodded; perhaps she could get away with a half-truth.

“Just a little nervous,” she chirped.

“I get that,” Ricky chuckled good-naturedly, pushing his hands into the pockets of his school uniform. The red and gold of his Gryffindor tie looked blinding under the fluorescent lights of the train, and Ellie blinked, staring at her shoes. “Come on, let’s go say hi to Seb. He’s with two of his siblings, and they’re first years too.”

Ellie followed him warily. Ashlyn had been trying all day to convince her to leave their compartment and go find other kids of her year, but Ellie hadn’t budged. She wasn’t shy: she would begin making friends as soon as she’d sit at the table for dinner. For now, she felt much better surrounded by the older students, bluffing Big Red into thinking the couple of eights she had in her hand was really a quad.

Ricky occasionally waved at students as he passed, and then mouthed comments to her.

“That one’s Natalie Bagley, the one who did the commentary at the Quidditch game. She _always_ loses her rat… And that was Roxanne Weasley, Gryffindor’s Quidditch Captain. Yeah, she tries not to show it but she kind of hates me. It’s a _long_ story. Oh, and the guy over there, with the goggles? He’s great if you need weird ingredients, but never buy his potions, okay? Only the raw materials.”

Ellie gawped at Ricky: there were so many things he _knew_.

“Do you really know a passage to get out of Hogwarts?” She couldn’t resist asking, while they waited for a group of fourth year Ravenclaws to clear out of the corridor. Ricky bit back a smile, his eyes twinkling.

“You haven’t even been sorted yet and you’re already thinking about how to get out?” He teased, but then seemed unable to resist and added, “Maybe I do. But your brother would have my head if I let you get lost in the Highlands your first term of school.”

“He wouldn’t,” Ellie smirked back. “He loves you soooooo much…”

Ricky’s face turned an interesting beetroot color and he waved a finger in front of her face in such an EJ-like manner that Ellie felt spooked for a second.

“This attitude won’t get you any closer to figuring out those secret passages.” He admonished, preceding her down the corridor and stopping in front of the compartment where Ellie recognized the blond boy who’d helped her feed the Giant Squid in June. Ricky opened the door and Ellie lingered on the threshold, feeling a little insecure as she peered at the two younger siblings Ricky had mentioned. She felt outnumbered.

“Ricky!” Seb enthused, throwing his arms around the Gryffindor. Ellie couldn’t help but notice that Carlos, the Slytherin guy she remembered was his boyfriend, had raised an unimpressed eyebrow at the scene. “I was expecting you much sooner. You didn’t cry in the bathroom by yourself, did you?”

“Why does everybody always assume I’m going to cry?” Ricky sighed, crossing his arms on his chest.

“Because you do, Ricky.” Carlos replied, holding an Every-Flavor Bean between thumb and index finger and looking pointedly at him. “After last year we seriously considered renaming you Bawling Bowen and giving you a bathroom to haunt.”

Ellie couldn’t hold back a giggle, and suddenly everyone’s attention was on her.

“Ellie, come in!” Seb urged her forward and all but shoved her in the seat near the window, facing two kids of her own age. “Sophie, Simon, meet Ellie. You’ve seen her brother, EJ, when everyone came over this summer.”

Ellie squared her shoulders and stuck out her hand, not wanting them to think she was intimidated.

“Hi,” said Sophie, squeezing her hand first. Both her and her brother - they must be twins - were blond like Seb and had light blue eyes. Sophie’s face was oval-shaped and she looked at Ellie with sincere curiosity, while her brother was more robust and pushed his glasses up his nose after sneaking a quick glance at her.

All three of them studied each other in awkward silence for a couple seconds, and Ellie felt her fingers twitch with the desire to wrap them around the wand she kept in her pocket to ground herself. She’d gotten it a little more than a day before, but she was already accustomed to feeling its comforting weight and shape in her hands.

Before she could ask them whether they played Quidditch just to break the tension however, the train started to slow down abruptly, and a metallic voice filled the compartments to announce that they were arriving at the Hogsmeade station. Ellie’s heart leapt in her throat and instantly searched for Ricky.

How had she not thought before of asking him for tips on how to get the Sorting Hat to put her where she wanted? He probably knew all the secrets on how to bribe it, but it was too late to ask now.

“It’s going to be alright,” he reassured her with a smile. He looked her right in the eyes and for a moment Ellie was sure he knew exactly what was going through her mind. “Try not to fall in the lake to high-five the Squid again, alright?”

Despite herself, Ellie giggled and nodded. Admittedly, a swim in a freezing lake in the northern recesses of the Scottish Highlands seemed like a better prospect than facing a Sorting that didn’t end up with her sitting at the Slytherin table. Still, Ellie squared her shoulders and prepared herself to meet her fears in the only way she knew: facing them head-first.

_The shore of the Dark Lake  
_ _19:01_

The hushed murmurs of excitement uttered by the group of first-years was barely audible over the rustling of the wind through the trees of the forest that surrounded the twisting path leading from the Hogsmeade station to the lake. The moonlight was bright enough to light the way, and when they took a sharp turn and the trees disappeared, the forty or so eleven years olds all drew their breaths as one.

“An’ welcome ter Hogwarts!” Hagrid yelled, as the castle over the lake came into view; he chuckled as he took in all of their astonished faces. The half-giant gamekeeper had an impressive mass of grey hair that somehow became a messy, bushy beard. His intimidating appearance contrasted so strikingly with the warm smile he’d greeted them with that Ellie thought he looked like a wild Father Christmas. EJ had told her about him: he used to teach Care of Magical Creatures, but now that he was elderly, he mostly just lived in his cabin, occasionally fishing mischievous students from the Forbidden Forest. Unsurprisingly, Ricky had met him so often that he’d been invited for tea a couple times.

“On th’ boats!” Commanded Hagrid, climbing into the first one “No more than four of yeh!”

Everyone nervously hesitated by the shore, no one wanting to be the first to attempt climbing into a boat, so Ellie took the first brave step forward. She smiled to herself as she wobbled to the front of the boat, realizing that she’d learned this attitude from EJ. He’d be proud of her.

Simon and Sophie followed her, and another boy with short brown hair became their fourth. He had long limbs he didn’t seem to be used to yet, as if he’d grown in size very recently; he almost tripped getting into the boat.

“Careful!” Hagrid shouted “Yeh don’ wan’ ter meet the Squid jus’ yet.”

The boy refused Simon’s helping hand to get up, red in the face.

“The what?” He hissed, sitting hastily at the back of the boat.

“There’s a Giant Squid in the lake,” Ellie explained. “I don’t think it’s dangerous, though.”

The look of mild horror that crossed the boy’s face told her that he wasn’t of the same idea.

“Did you really give it a high five?” Sophie asked, while they waited for everyone else to get settled.

“Yeah” Ellie’s lips curved just barely “It likes cream tarts.”

The tall boy looked at her with a mixture of admiration and jealousy, but Ellie didn’t dwell on it: at Hagrid’s command the boats surged forward, ploughing through the velvet surface of the lake. She gripped the sides of the boats, feeling the damp, cold wood beneath her palms. Hogwarts towered over their heads, swallowing the starry sky as they got closer and closer to the rocks it stood upon. No sound was heard over the lapping of water against the prow of the little boats, and as Ellie looked up at the castle one second before they entered a tunnel escavated in the rocks, her heart leaped in her throat.

She wasn’t scared. She was Ellie Caswell and if she wanted to be in Slytherin, she'd be in Slytherin.

_But maybe I don’t want to be in Slytherin._

Her throat constricted and she held on tighter to the boat, blinking furiously to chase away the tears. What was she thinking? Of course, she wanted to be in Slytherin. She always had.

 _No. What you really want is for EJ not to be disappointed in you_.

The boat reached a small harbor and stooped with a soft thud; Ellie dismounted first, barely feeling her legs. She followed the other kids numbly, and before she knew it, they were looking at the huge wooden doors of the Great Hall in front of a kind looking man that introduced himself as professor Longbottom.

Ellie wasn’t ready, when the doors opened and the first years all looked up at the enchanted ceiling of the biggest room they’d ever set foot in; she wasn’t ready when they filed along the hall, between the tables of Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. She wasn’t ready when the older students all craned their necks to look at them, and she saw Ashlyn giving her a thumbs up when they passed her by. She wasn’t ready when they grouped in front of the teachers’ table, and the Sorting Hat dove into a song she couldn’t bring herself to listen to. The lanky boy from the boat gave a start when the hat began to sing, his eyes bulging out; he must be a Muggleborn, Ellie realized.

She still wasn’t ready when the students cheered at the end of the song, and the clapping of hundreds of hands together sounded to her like a mountain about to crumble on top of her head.

She wasn’t ready when “Alexander, Ophelia”, a brunette at the front of the group, was called to the Hat and became the first student to be sorted into Gryffindor; she wasn’t ready, when after two Hufflepuffs, a Ravenclaw and a Slytherin, Professor Longbottom waited for the cheering to die out and called,

“Caswell, Cordelia!”

She wasn’t ready, but she took a deep breath, squared her shoulders and sat on the stool. She couldn’t help but think that some of the students were actively pointing at her when she saw the panoramic view of the room, one moment before it disappeared behind the ancient leather material of the Sorting Hat.

“Very well,” said a small voice over the deafening thump of her heartbeat in her chest. “Interesting, interesting indeed. A fiery mold, for sure. Proud and with a strong desire to find your place in the world.”

 _It’s Slytherin_ , Ellie thought, _That’s my place._

“Are you sure, now?” Sneered the ancient voice. “I have sorted students for twelve centuries, and I have never made a mistake. I know exactly where to put you, _Ellie_.”

Fear, hope and anticipation tangled in her chest and Ellie stopped breathing, closing her eyes while she waited for the Sorting Hat to announce her fate to the school.

“GRYFFINDOR!”

Light hurt her eyes when Professor Longbottom took the Hat from her head, and she walked numbly to the table on the far left of the room that had exploded in a deafening cheer. She fell on the bench where Ophelia Alexander was seating, unable to understand what had just happened.

_You’ve secretly known this for months. You knew you belonged in Gryffindor._

Ellie blinked furiously, trying to make sense of the older students that clapped her on the back.

“Welcome!” Shouted an excited boy from the other side of the table.

“Are you EJ Caswell’s sister?” Asked another, shaking her hand.

“Yeah” she said, gulping down a lump in her throat. Why was everyone looking at her as if they already knew her?

“I hope you too are good at Quidditch!” Sighed a girl, shaking her head “Merlin knows if we deserve to win the Cup…”

Ellie stared at the empty plate in front of her, not knowing what to say. Professor Longbottom had called the next student and she looked on as Cooper, Oliver - the Muggleborn boy she’d shared the boat with - became a Slytherin. Jealousy sparked in her chest, poisonous and bitter. Why couldn’t that be her? She’d felt so relieved when the Sorting Hat had put her in Gryffindor, and then immediately guilty. She’d failed, and had the nerve to be happy about it? What would EJ say?

Instinctively, she searched down the table for Ricky’s familiar mop of curly hair, but she couldn’t find him: he probably was at the back with the older students. She needed to get her head straight: she couldn’t start crying in the middle of the table, for Morgana’s sake.

“It’s okay if you want to cry,” Ophelia, the other first year, whispered to her with a smile. “You can pretend you’ve dropped a fork and duck under the table, no one will notice.”

“I don’t want to cry,” Ellie replied, startled. Ophelia gave her a skeptical look that freaked her out a little, then turned to watch the Sorting.

“I think she’s going to be in Hufflepuff,” she muttered to herself and a moment later the girl whose name Ellie hadn’t paid attention to, did in fact become a Hufflepuff. Ellie gaped at Ophelia, but she didn’t pay her any mind: she continued guessing the other students’ Sortings, and she didn’t miss one. Simon Matthew-Smith became a Ravenclaw.

“That’s his twin sister,” Ellie said, when Sophie was called immediately after. “I bet she’s going to be a Ravenclaw as well.”

“Don’t put money on it,” Ophelia replied. “I’d say Huff-”

“HUFFLEPUFF!” Shouted the hat, before she could finish her sentence.

“How do you do it?” Hissed Ellie, after Ophelia had predicted that Prince, Harley would become a Slytherin. “Are you a Seer?”

“Not really,” the girl replied. “I think I can just read people very well.”

She bore her eyes into hers and Ellie felt compelled to look away. If there was a moment when she didn’t want to be read, this was it.

“The Sorting Hat doesn’t make mistakes,” Ophelia said. “It put you here because that’s where you’re meant to be.”

“Everyone can make mistakes,” Ellie replied, forcing a smile on her face and wishing the Sorting would end soon. She wasn’t hungry, but she desperately wished to have some food on her plate she could stab, pretending it was her own _stupid_ self.

“That’s very wise,” sighed a gloomy voice, and the first years all jumped in surprise as a ghost wearing a ruff appeared from beneath the table “It’s what I keep telling the chief of the Headless Hunt, but alas! He won’t stop punishing me for the ineptitude of my executioner.”

_Gryffindor Tower  
_ _23:46_

Ellie tossed and turned in her bed, unable to fall asleep; she felt terribly heavy, as if a Hungarian Horntail had decided to take a nap on her stomach. She tried to tell herself that it was just the two servings of every course plus the three different desserts she’d had, but it wasn’t true. Ellie had tried not to love the chaos and chatter she’d been thrown into at the Gryffindor table with the other first years. She’d tried to think wistfully about Slytherin’s common room when they’d gone through the passage behind the portrait of the Fat Lady; she had tried not to love every second of the night, but she couldn’t. Gryffindor Tower was amazing, and her housemates had listened with rapt attention to her recount of the trip she’d had last Christmas in Australia, and her adventures there. She felt like she belonged with them, and it would have been the most satisfying feeling in the world if she didn’t know that every second of her happiness towards being put in Gryffindor was a straight up betrayal to EJ.

He would never look at her in the same way.

The thick, warm covers of her four-poster bed felt too heavy over her body, and she furiously pushed them aside, trying to get rid of the sense of suffocation she couldn’t seem to shake. Around the room, her four dorm mates were asleep: other than Ophelia, there was a Muggleborn named Maggie and two half-bloods, Juliet and Elena. They were all fast asleep, but Ellie was too fretful: she slipped into her dressing-gown and, without really knowing what she would do there, walked down the spiraling staircase to the common room.

In hindsight, she shouldn’t have been surprised to find it already occupied.

“Ellie?” Ricky frowned, looking up from the small couch he was sitting on, by the fireplace. “What are you doing up?”

Ellie’s gaze traveled to his hand that was holding a pen, then to the roll of parchment smoothed over a book he perched on his knees. He was writing to EJ, and he was telling him about her Sorting. Ellie felt suddenly sick.

“Nothing,” Ellie sputtered. “I’m going to bed. Goodnight!”

She hurried backwards towards the staircase and almost tripped over the hem of her dressing-gown. Maybe if she hid in her dorm quickly enough, she could still pretend EJ wouldn’t find out first thing in the morning what a disappointment she was.

“Ellie,” Ricky’s soft voice made her stop in her tracks. “Wanna come over here for a while? It’s nice and warm.”

Ellie hesitated, before walking over to him. She sat on the other end of the couch, her back upright and hands folded in her lap. She stared directly into the last remainders of the fire, feeling Ricky’s eyes studying her intensely.

“Are you okay?” He asked gently.

“Yeah,” she nodded, and when she risked sneaking a glance at him, he raised an eloquent eyebrow at her. Ellie’s lips trembled, but she willed the tears down.

“I know you’re writing to EJ,” she whispered. “He won’t like this.”

“Why not?” Ricky asked. “Do you not like being in Gryffindor?”

Ricky’s look was kind, but Ellie felt anger flare up in her chest. Was he pulling her leg?

“I - that’s not the point!” She exclaimed. “I heard what EJ said to you last night. You _know_ he will hate m-… He will hate this!”

Understanding flashed in Ricky’s eyes and he quickly put down pen and parchment to scoot closer to her.

“You know that’s not true,” he said, slinging an arm around her shoulders. “I’m pretty sure there’s nothing in the world you could do to make EJ hate you.”

Ellie sniffled, staring at the carpet. She couldn’t be sure her voice wouldn’t tremble if she tried to speak, so she didn’t say anything.

“Hey,” he nudged her to make her look up and Ellie reluctantly complied. “I know EJ said he’d have liked for you to be in Slytherin, but that doesn’t mean he won’t be excited that you’re in Gryffindor. If you’re happy, he will be too.”

Ricky had a kind, reassuring smile. Ellie was eleven years old (basically an adult), had a badass phoenix feather wand and had just been sorted in the most noble house of them all. Yet, when he invited her for a hug she flung her arms around his torso, hiding her face against his chest. The effort not to cry made her whole body shake like a leaf in the wind.

“I don’t want him to be disappointed.” Ellie confessed in a small voice, without looking up.

_I don’t want him to leave me._

She had a feeling Ricky would understand her: EJ had told her about his mom, who had gone to live in another continent. It wasn’t that different from her parents, who she only ever saw when they were hosting some important dinner at the Manor and paraded EJ and her around like a couple of well-trained dogs.

“He won’t be disappointed at all,” Ricky’s smile was audible through his words and he gently patted her back until she managed to look at him. He sounded so confident she _wanted_ to believe him “Actually, I think he’ll be thrilled.”

“Why?” Ellie asked, confused.

Ricky’s grin gained a mischievous tinge.

“Ellie, you know who is EJ's favorite person, beside you?” He asked, raising his eyebrows expectantly. Ellie felt a lot lighter all of a sudden.

“Ashlyn?” She guessed, blinking innocently at him.

“... Yes. And then?” Ricky inquired.

“Hermione Granger?” Ellie tried, maintaining a naive expression.

“Are you kidding me right now?” Ricky frowned, unimpressed at her veiled insolence.

“I know it's you, Ricky!” Ellie snickered, shaking her head. Ricky had no problem riling everyone else up, but the only person he allowed to tease him back was EJ.

“Right.” He said. “And I happen to be a Gryffindor. Hermione Granger was, too.” He added wistfully, on second thought. Ellie laughed again and Ricky ruffled her hair, seemingly very pleased with himself.

“Stop it!” She demanded. “I’m still in a bad mood.”

“Are you, now?” Ricky bent down to retrieve the letter he’d been writing, and Ellie used all of her willpower not to glance at it. He would be talking about her, for sure, but who knew what other weird things he might have written down. She’d rather not know.

“Yes,” she lied, pressing her chin on the palm of her hand. Ricky looked as if he wanted to say something, but he didn’t. “And you know what could make me feel better?”

“What?” Ricky’s eyes looked vaguely glossy.

“Finding out about a secret passage to get to the Great Hall quickly tomorrow morning.” Ellie said, giving him her best do-it-for-me smile. Ricky’s head jerked back in laughter.

“Hold your hippogriffs, baby Caswell,” he admonished. “There will be plenty of time for that after you’ve had a good night’s sleep.”

Ellie sighed dramatically, glancing at the entrance to the common room: the castle was mostly asleep by now, and its call for her to explore it was tempting. Ricky added a couple lines to the letter, smiling to himself.

“Wanna write something?” He offered, pointing at the still blank end of the parchment.

Ellie’s heart thumped nervously. How could she find the right words to tell EJ how sorry she was for not being sorted into Slytherin, and being actually happy about it? She was tempted to refuse the offer and let Ricky speak for her - but that was the coward’s way out, and she was a Gryffindor now. More than that, she was a Caswell. She didn’t let anyone else fight her battles.

Taking pen and paper from Ricky, she kept her eyes away from his messy handwriting and jutted down a few lines. Then she gave it back to Ricky, her heart heavy.

“I’ll miss him a lot,” she mumbled, fidgeting with her fingers. “I know it’s like when he was here, and I was home but… it feels different.”

“I know,” Ricky’s smile was sad. “But… look.”

Ellie followed his gaze, and noisily held her breath: outside of the window, a silver form was gleaming in the dark. It went through the glass, floating silently through the air until it stopped in front of the couch. The silver octopus patronus extended its tentacles and Ellie instinctively raised her palm towards it. The moment she touched it, a warm sensation flowed through her fingers, running all the way up to her chest. Ellie closed her eyes, and she felt exactly like she had that morning on Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, when EJ had hugged her for the last time. Her brother’s love reached her in the form of its patronus, and although she couldn’t touch it, his presence had never felt more tangible.

On her right, one of the tentacles had stroke Ricky’s chest and a single tear rolled down his cheek, glimmering in the silver luminescence of the patronus.

_Dear EJ,_

_I know you’ll have watched the video I recorded before reading this, so you already know that Ellie’s a Gryffindor. I can’t say I told you so because I never actually did tell you, but I was a hundred percent sure she would be. And I know that you knew too._

_I guess it’s a win-win situation, right? You’ll know that I can keep a better eye on her from the top of Gryffindor Tower (seventh years get the top room - the view is even better than what we saw from Ravenclaw Tower) and Ellie and I can keep each other company when we start missing you too much. Although from what I saw at dinner, she already has her whole year wrapped around her finger, so she’s not gonna want to hang out with me and Big Red for sure._

_I thought this year without my favorite Head Boy to mess with would be the most boring, but I guess I was wrong, wasn’t I? I can’t BELIEVE you didn’t tell me! This is why you’ve been so secretive about your job at the Ministry, right? You were helping organize the TRIWIZARD TOURNAMENT! Be honest, how bummed are you that you can’t participate? Big Red has already started placing bets on who’s going to be the Hogwarts Champion. For now, the best Gryffindor candidate seems to be Roxanne Weasley. Gina said she kind of expected this when she didn’t receive the badge as Slytherin Quidditch Captain, but I don’t believe her. She’s just relieved they didn’t give it to Evelyn June instead of her._

_Anyway, I don’t know what’s the Ministry policy on this, but is there any chance that as an intern in the department that’s literally organizing the thing, they’ll let you come and visit sometime? Asking for Ellie, of course. If they do let you come, let me know in advance and I’ll skate to you as soon as you step foot into Hogwarts. Don’t make that face I know you’re making; I know you like me when I skate._

_This is it, I guess. You won’t believe it, but this is the first year I won’t try to sneak out on the first night. It’s one of the best times, because everyone’s just too tired to go on patrols (Nini almost fell asleep in her soup). But I kinda just want to go to bed tonight. Don’t fret if you don’t find your old Slytherin jersey… it might have found its way to my trunk at some point. Oops?_

_Ellie’s gonna do great in Gryffindor, you’ll see. And I guess we can keep an eye on each other while you’re busy advancing your career at the Ministry. Use that sneaky Slytherin persuasion to make your boss send you on Hogwarts duties, please. I can think of at least seven different ways it could… benefit you if you did. I won’t write them out on paper in case someone finds this letter when you’re running for Minister of Magic and tries to blackmail you._

_See you soon, I hope._

_Love,  
_ _Ricky_

P.S.: _Dear EJ, I’m sorry I’m not a Slytherin. I know you really wanted me to, and I guess if I could choose another house, I would definitely choose Slytherin. I think Gryffindor’s best for me, though. And don’t worry, I still plan to show everyone that the Caswells rule. Do you think I would have a shot at becoming the youngest Triwizard Champion in history? Or is this one of the dangerous things you asked me not to do?_

_I’m really excited to start classes tomorrow! I promise I’ll write you a longer letter on Friday so I can tell you about the first week. There’s a nice girl in my dorm, although she’s a bit spooky. And I tried to convince Ricky to make me sneak out of the common room, but I think he’s too in love with you to make me risk any trouble. Boring!_

_I love you too, though not in the smoochy way._

_Ellie_

SIX YEARS LATER

_Saturday, January 15th  
_ _Somewhere in the dungeons_

The silence in the room was broken only by the faint dripping of water from the ceilings. They weren’t far from the Slytherin common room, so that meant that they must be under the lake: Ellie breathed in the thick scent of humidity, trying to keep her focus. Everyone waited with bathed breath for her to make a move and Ellie studied her adversary intensely, trying to find a crack in his impassible façade. She had been going toe to toe against Oliver Cooper since the very first day of school, competing with him at almost everything; even now that they had started getting to know each other better - becoming friends, even - she _still_ couldn’t read his expression when he hid behind the perfect Slytherin coolness she supposed they all practiced down in the dungeons. Ellie took in the vague glint in his chocolate eyes, the upturned corner of his mouth, and then shifted to the extended fingers of his left hand, perfectly still where he’d rested them on his knee. She bit back a smirk. She might not be able to read his face, but the rest of his body language was a lot easier to interpret.

“Fold,” she said, placing her cards back on the ground in front of her. Annoyance flashed in Oliver’s eyes for a second, but then he collected the small win he’d bet, trying to get her to raise. She _knew_ he must have something good in his hand.

“Good call, Ellie!” Ophelia nodded sagely, enjoying the show.

“Phee!” Oliver snapped at her, red in the face. “You’re not allowed comments - it’s not fair!”

Ophelia rolled her eyes good-naturedly: with her special empathy powers that allowed her to all but read people’s minds, she had been banned from their secret poker tournaments after she’d robbed an eighteen year old Ravenclaw of his collection of ancient Alchemy books, a salamander and four hundred Chocolate Frogs cards, back in their third year.

“You’re one to talk,” she quipped back. “Since when is the Head Boy allowed to take part in an underground poker ring?”

“Since the Head Girl’s the one who organized it,” Harley Prince snickered, shaking her head. “Morgana, Flitwick must have fallen from his cushions and hit his head pretty hard for deciding to make _you two_ Head Girl and Head Boy.”

Oliver looked offended, but Ellie laughed. After all, Harley wasn’t wrong: her Hogwarts career had been anything but smooth sailing (she _did_ risk expulsion in fourth year) and the illegal poker ring had been her idea, with the only rule being that no one was allowed to bet money or broomsticks. She too had thought it was a prank when Oliver and she had both received the badge. EJ had thrown a party, complete with an emotional toast that had made her want to hide under the table (Ricky was having a laugh at her and did nothing to stop him, but Ellie had sworn to him that she’d get her revenge at the wedding reception. She had no shortage of embarrassing Ricky and EJ moments to tell).

“Last round, El?” Oliver asked, already shuffling the cards.

“Sure,” she agreed. “If you really want to give over all those nice rare potions ingredients you just won…”

Oliver silently handed her five cards. Around them, other students that had stayed to watch the two best players challenge each other started to get up and say goodnight. It was rather close to curfew, after all.

“We’re going too,” Harley yawned a little too enthusiastically, helping Sophie to her feet. “Night!”

Sophie waved, red in the face as Harley whispered something to her ear.

“Lucky them!” Ophelia cheerfully commented, amused at Simon watching Slytherin’s scariest punk drag his sister along the corridor. “Come on, Simon. It’s been almost a year; you can’t still be worried about her.”

“Yeah, man,” Oliver frowned, studying his cards before adding a vial of horned newt eyes to the betting plate. “Stop being an ass. Harley’s my best friend, and she’s totally in love with your sister. Raise.”

Ellie heard Simon mumble under his breath, and she distractedly waved as he and Ophelia announced they were going to sleep as well. She studied her cards: a straight wasn’t bad, and she could afford a little risk.

“Call,” she said, sending an expensive Self-Correcting Quill to join Oliver’s rare potions ingredients.

They placed their cards on the ground, and Oliver smirked triumphantly.

“Full” he said.

“Fuck,” Ellie muttered, irritation prickling under her skin. She did _not_ like losing. “I want a rematch.”

Amusement sparkled in Oliver’s eyes. They were the only ones left, and the shuffling sound of the cards echoed around the room. Ellie stared at Oliver’s long fingers while he expertly shuffled and distributed the cards: his hands were huge compared to hers, but then again, she guessed they were just proportioned. She’d never stop hating the full eleven inches that made him taller than her.

The first re-match was followed by a second, and a third, and a fourth; before they knew it, it was well past midnight, and the chilly air of the dungeons was seeping into her bones.

“Okay, last one.” Oliver said, shuffling the cards quickly. Ellie leaned back, amused, and stretched her arms over her head.

“You literally have nothing left to bet,” she teased, gesturing towards the pile of precious goods she’d acquired with a particularly clever bluff.

“Let’s see,” Oliver handed the cards over and looked at her straight in the face, but Ellie thought that his eyes looked weirdly steely, as if he was trying to keep his emotions guarded. “Let’s say if I win, I’ll take you on a date next Hogsmeade weekend.”

Ellie stared at him over her cards, baffled. He must be joking, right?

“What?” Was her eloquent answer.

Ellie had been playing poker against Oliver since third year: he was good at keeping his eyes blank, but she usually had very little trouble knowing whether he was bluffing or not, because she knew all of his tells.

Now she didn’t spot a single one.

“Unless, of course,” Oliver glanced at his cards and back at her, his expression unreadable like always. “You’re too scared to lose…”

“You’re on,” Ellie hissed. _Scared_ wasn’t a word she would ever want associated with her.

Oliver looked relaxed when he played, and Ellie tried to make sense of this bet. He was just trying to make fun of her; they were friends, fine, but surely, he wouldn’t _actually_ want to take her on a date. Ophelia would have _told_ her if she’d suspected Oliver might be into her… right?

When they reached the final showdown, Ellie unhappily noticed that her heart had started to pound heavily in her chest. Oliver still maintained his perfectly composed demeanor.

“See,” he spoke softly, revealing his hand.

He had two pairs. She had a flush.

Ellie tried to make her victorious smile look convincing enough, but she was too confused. How had Oliver hoped to beat her with such a weak hand? It didn’t make sense that he would play to lose, unless…

_Unless he was just trying to test your reaction._

“Don’t look so disappointed,” Oliver teased her, eyes shining in the darkness of the room. “If you’re curious to know what I had in mind, you can always ask me out yourself.”

Ellie hoped that the heat burning on her cheeks wouldn’t be noticeable in the dim light. How dared he make fun of her like that? She’d never been more annoyed. _Extremely_ annoyed, borderline furious. _That_ was why she was blushing.

 _You’re just angry because he actually made you_ curious.

Ellie pushed her hair back and lunged forward to grab the card deck from his hands, and immediately began shuffling it. Not only she was a Caswell: she was the Gryffindor brand of Caswell, and there was _no way_ she’d let him have the last word.

“You wish,” Ellie said, quickly distributing another hand under Oliver’s pleased look. “If you really want that date, you’re gonna have to win it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My friends, that’s a wrap (for now)!  
> I hope you liked this spin-off chapter, that strays away a little from our RJ protagonists. At some point [questionmark007](https://archiveofourown.org/users/questionmark007/pseuds/questionmark007) and I had accumulated so many ideas and materials about Ellie’s character that I just couldn’t not include at least a little bit of it.  
> Thank you once again for reading this short installment! I don’t have anything else planned for this universe for now, but I know exactly what will happen to this Ricky and EJ in a future that extends for at least ten years after this fic… so, even though I currently don’t plan on writing a proper sequel, I might add other one shots or very short fics in the future.  
> I HAD to include the Triwizard Tournament. Wanna bet who becomes the Hogwarts Champion? Ehehehe. And I headcanon that Hagrid stays to live at Hogwarts in his elderly years and they let him escort the students on the first day, because he just really loves seeing their faces when they get to Hogwarts for the first time.  
> Finally… was anyone surprised by Ellie’s sorting? Because I tried to make it EXTREMELY obvious that she’s a daredevil Gryffindor.  
> Anyways, big love to you all lovely people. In the (virtual) smoochy way. 
> 
> TheKeyOfHappiness  
> Or [billiejs](https://billiejs.tumblr.com) on Tumblr
> 
> PS: To the man whose birth brought us all here today: happy birthday, Harry Potter.


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